This invention pertains to a coffeemaker of a type comprising a source, which is adapted to supply heated water, a basket, which is adapted to hold coffee grounds and to receive heated water from the source, so as to yield an infusion from the grounds as infused by heated water from the source, and which is adapted to filter the grounds from the infusion and to discharge the infusion, and a receptacle, which is adapted to receive the infusion being discharged from the basket.
Pertinent examples of various coffeemakers of the type noted above are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,530, U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,050, U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,795, U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,053, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,100. From such examples, it is known for a coffeemaker of the type noted above to be provided with a bypassing means, by which a portion of the water from the source may be caused to bypass the grounds. Also, the bypassing means may be adjustable, so as to enable relative proportions of the water bypassing and not bypassing the grounds to be adjusted.
Earlier examples of related interest include U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,188, U.S. Pat. No. 3,040,648, U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,527, U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,528, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,964.
For a coffeemaker of the type noted above, it is desirable from a standpoint of simplicity for a user desiring to make a batch of brewed coffee to be instructed to use a given number of dry measures of coffee of a suitable grind and to use the same number of liquid measures of water. Equivalently, the user may be instructed to use one dry measure of coffee of a suitable grind for each liquid measure of water. So-called "drip" grind may be specified.
Typically, the user is instructed to use more or less coffee according to his or her taste. Commonly, in the United States of America, dry measures of coffee are expressed in "tablespoons" of a capacity of one-sixteenth of a standard cup per "tablespoon", or in some other term used in cooking, and liquid measures of water are expressed in "cups" of a capacity of five fluid ounces per "cup".
However, in a coffeemaker of the type noted above, if different batches of brewed coffee are made, one batch using a given smaller number of dry measures of coffee of a suitable grind, as infused by the same smaller number of liquid measures of water, and another batch using a given larger number of dry measures of coffee of the same grind, as infused by the same larger number of liquid measures of water, do not exhibit consistent strengths. The batch using the given larger number of dry measures of coffee, as infused by the same larger number of liquid measures of water, is stronger than the batch using the given smaller number of dry measures of coffee, as infused by the same smaller number of liquid measures of water.
The strength of a batch of brewed coffee can be measured by various objective tests. A preferred test employs a standard sample, which may be 10 milliliters drawn from the batch, and which is dried on a dish of known tare weight in an oven until a dry residue remains. The dry residue is weighed. For precise measurements, suitable controls of times, temperatures, and humidities are employed.
It is known that, in a coffeemaker of the type noted above, a portion of the water infusing the grounds is retained by the grounds.
Accordingly, this invention is addressed to an improvement in a coffeemaker of the type noted above, whereby brewed coffee or more consistent strength can be made from one batch to another batch, although a given number of dry measures of coffee of a suitable grind and an equal number of liquid measures of water are used for one batch, and although a different number of dry measures of coffee of the same grind and an equal number of liquid measures of water are used for another batch.